Learning to Live
by I.Think.Of.Her
Summary: She raised one black eyebrow at me and picked up a large metallic cube along with a white gun-type object. Perhaps she wasn't suicidal after all… "You're not from here are you?" I asked as if it wasn't already obvious.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own the portal series or anything pertaining to it. I only own my ideas.

I stared at the open expanse before me and gaped. My knees hit the dirt for the first time in an unimaginable eternity. I was free. I was finally completely, and totally free. The evils of the past were far behind me. The only thing left of the closed chapter of my life was the small shed. No one knew what that thing really was; they never would.

Then a thought hit me. I was not only free, but I was alone with no knowledge about the world I was now faced with. What had changed? Was there even a world to go to anymore? Had what GLaDOS told me been true?

The wind rustled the grass forcing the amber waves to bend and sway. I made up my mind and stood. There was nowhere to go but forward. I scooped the cube that had somehow found its way back into my grasp and started off in no particular direction. The metal object that I had long ago assumed to be the only gift I would be allowed somehow seemed heavier to me now. It seemed more a burden than the companion it was meant to be.

I traveled on long into the night, my white boots leaving strange prints in the soil. The portal gun weighed just as heavily to me as the cube. I felt a strange sense of elation fill me as I looked into the horizon and saw lights. There was something off in the distance, and by morning I would know what.

Tall buildings reached toward the sky. All I could do was marvel at this. I was seeing the world as I had longed to those many sleepless years in the lab. I placed my hand gently upon the stone building before me. It was cold to the touch and rough in texture. The air was crisp and smelled clean. I reached up and slid my fingers into a crack between bricks and, leaving my only two possessions behind, pulled myself hand over hand up the wall. I reached about ten feet off the ground when my fingers began to ache. I looked around desperately for something to grab on to when I spotted a ledge near the courner of the building. I shimmied my way over to the ledge and breathed a sigh of relief. My eyes wandered as I looked for another way up. My attention was drawn to a ladder about five or so feet above my head.

Once I reached the ladder, it was easy to make my way to the roof. The flat space before me was littered with small cans. My feet took me to the edge and I looked out over the town… or maybe it was a city. Small dots were moving beneath me. They were people! I wasn't the only one left after all.

"Whatever you're thinking right now, I'm sure that what you're about to do will not help any of it. I'll help you, just step away from the ledge." I spun around at the sound of the voice. A woman with blond hair stood before me with what I assumed was worry etched into her features.

It was then that I realized that my lack of voice could become a problem. I felt a pang of sadness strike through me at the thought of not being able to communicate. I had nearly opened my mouth to attempt to reply when I remembered that fact.

"Please, come over here." I was confused as to why this woman was so anxious due to my nearness to the edge of the building, but considering her demeanor, she did not like it at all. I nodded and walked toward her studying her features intently. Her eyes were a deep shade of blue and her pale skin had a shade of pink to it.

She took my hand and looked into my eyes. "What's your name?" I remained silent. "You know what? It doesn't matter… Is there someone I should call? I'm sure your parents are very worried." I shook my head.

"Well… are you staying somewhere?" I shook my head again. "Uh… then... well I can't very well just leave you here. You could stay with my family and I until I figure out where you belong." I desperately wanted to tell her that it was a waste of time and that I should be on my way, but I couldn't. "Do you have anything you want to bring with you?" I nodded.

Seeing no better alternative way down, I ran to the edge of the building and leapt off. I heard a scream behind me and the air rushed past me as I sailed towards the ground.

My landing was less than smooth and I slid on my back when I hit the ground. The impact was nothing compared to using the portals, but the people around me all stared in astonishment. The blond woman emerged from the building moments later, running. She looked positively dumbfounded when she found I was unharmed…

-Portal-Portal-

I stared at the teen before me and felt my mouth fall open. That drop would have killed anyone, and yet there she was standing like nothing had happened. She raised one black eyebrow at me and picked up a large metallic cube along with a white gun-type object. Perhaps she wasn't suicidal after all… "You're not from here are you?" I asked as if it wasn't already obvious.

She simply shook her head and shrugged. I was puzzled by her silence, but chalked it up to the idea that she most likely didn't speak English. I reconsidered that thought when logic said that she must at least understand it to be able to respond to me. "Uh…" It was a lot harder not being awkward around someone who said nothing. "Well follow me, I guess…" She fell in step behind me.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own portal or its ideas, only my own.

I followed the strange woman through the streets, watching her feet step softly forward, one after another. She occasionally looked back at me as if to make sure I was following her. I wished that I could tell her not to bother, that I had nowhere else to go and would be going with her as such. With the cube under my arm, I trudged along. I felt like a bumbling idiot behind the grace that was this woman.

People tossed strange glances my way. As if my appearance was much different from theirs. Then I thought that maybe it was more to do with the fact that this town was small enough that possibly everyone knew each other and as such could tell I was new.

We passed bunches of small living establishments and a few buildings that appeared to be serving food to people coming and going. The dirt road we followed seemed to stretch on for the length of at least ten test chambers, possibly longer. Hugely constructed buildings reached to the sky all around reminding me of the basement of Aperture.

I was so busy looking around that I didn't even notice that the lady leading me had stopped. "Excuse me. Miss! We're here." I whirled around and locked eyes on the blond. She was standing before a door which was already half open. "This is my home. You can stay here until we figure out what to do with you." I stumbled over and nodded.

We stepped through the threshold and into a small square room. Much smaller than most at the lab. Perhaps the size of a large office. Couches lined two of the walls which were covered with yellow wall paper. The room led into another which had a table surrounded by four chairs. To the left was a long hallway. The woman turned to me. "It's not much, but its home. My name is Nancy. My, this is going to be difficult without you speaking. I don't know what to call you." I nodded and felt a frown worm its way onto my face. "Well, never mind that for now. If you'll follow me, I'll show you where you'll be staying for now."

Without waiting for a response, Nancy turned and made her way down the hall. Two doors down she stopped. "You can use this room. It used to be my husband's office, but…" She trailed off. "Well you can set your things down. I'll go get a sleeping bag and a few blankets and pillows so you can get comfortable. You look tired." If I'd been able to talk, I would have explained that I didn't sleep, but I couldn't so she left to go collect the previously mentioned objects.

I turned and placed the cube down as well as the portal gun side by side. My only belongings. Nancy returned a few minutes later with blankets and pillows. She gave them to me and told me that dinner would be ready in about half an hour. I wasn't sure what dinner was, or how long half an hour was for that matter, but I nodded anyway and set about making a comfortable seat for myself out of the bedding. I was sitting for quite some time fidgeting. It was the first time that I wasn't being told to_ do _something. I wasn't running through portals or solving life threatening puzzles. I was just. Sitting. This was going to take some getting used to.

A/N I actually came back to this story. I can't believe it. Well anyway I'm just getting started. Summer is almost over, but I hope to get a lot done with this story before school starts. Review if you feel like it. It makes me want to write more!


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thanks to all who have reviewed this story thus far. I hope you guys are enjoying reading this as much as I am writing it. I will be introducing a few more OC's which I hope doesn't take away from the story. Considering the actual game its self doesn't give me that many to work with. So anyway, enough of my blathering on and more story!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Portal**

Nancy's Pov.

I went on about my usual business as if there wasn't a stranger sitting in a kitchen chair watching me. The young teen I had discovered earlier that day had appeared from her temporary room not long about ten minutes ago, seemingly bored. It was a bit frustrating for me not being able to strike up a conversation as I so often did with those around me. I was beginning to think her lack of speech was due to muteness. She seemed friendly enough and being silent actually seemed to be bothering her. Her long black hair was no longer in a ponytail and now flowed down her back. Despite it being rather unkempt it had a silky quality to it.

My attention was pulled back to the stove when the tea kettle began to hiss and whine. I turned off the gas burner and poured a small amount of water in a cup along with some sugar and cocoa. I sipped at the drink absently waiting for the pasta to finish cooking. Not knowing what the young woman would like, I stuck to the basics of spaghetti. I looked over my shoulder at the girl. "You can get a shower if you want. The bathroom is down the hall." She looked at me strangely for a few moments and I began to wonder if she even knew what a shower was. Upon closer inspection she appeared to be coated in a layer of dirt. My mind perked up and stated that it was almost like having a child in the house rather than a young adult.

I lead her down the hall to the bathroom, turned on the water showed her the soap and shampoo. I then left her to it telling her to leave her cloths outside the door and I would wash them.

-portal-portal- Chell's POV

The hot water cascaded down on my body, washing away years of dirt and sweat, possibly even tears even though I couldn't remember the last time I had cried. Steam filled my nose and lungs cleansing my insides as well as out. I didn't remember a time I had felt _this _good. Maybe the first time I completed a test, though I wouldn't know because that was a long time ago. I lumped all my hair atop my head in a soapy ball only to step into the spray and feel it flow down my back again.

I stepped out of the water and dried myself with a towel. My clothes were nowhere to be seen so I wrapped the large towel around myself and stepped out into the hall about to look for Nancy when an earsplitting scream pierced the silence. I spun around searching for the source of the sound when I noticed a girl who seemed around my age at the end of the hall gaping at me.

"Who are you?!" She advanced towards me with such an air that I found myself slowly backing away. My back hit a wall and I could only watch in mute horror as a fist came arcing through the air and connected with my head. My vision swam in and out of focus and then everything went dark.

-Portal-Portal-

"God, Nat! You didn't have to hit her!" A voice reached my ears that I recognized as Nancy.

"Well what am I supposed to do if some strange person is in our house? Invite them to dinner?" A second voice joined the conversation and I distinguished it as the girl called Nat. _The one that hit me,_ I recalled. As if that though triggered my memory, a white hot pain shot through the left side of my face. I opened my mouth in a silent shriek and sat bolt upright.

"Easy there." Nancy placed her hands on my shoulders steadying me. "How is your head?" I turned stiffly to look at her. It was then that she remembered my silence. "Does it hurt?"

I nodded and immediately wished I hadn't. I hadn't felt this bad since a collision with a moving platform after flying through a portal. I looked down and noticed I was still in a towel. I gestured to it and Nancy seemed to understand that I was asking for my jumpsuit and shirt. "Right. I'll get them." With that she got up leaving me alone with Nat. She was about my height with long light brown hair. Her navy blue sleeveless shirt showed off her tan, muscled arms. Her green eyes watched me intently.

"Well are you gunna stare or are you actually gunna introduce yourself?" She demanded with a huff. I dropped her gaze and looked hopelessly at my hands in my lap. "What? You mute or something?" My shoulders slumped and I nodded slightly. That seemed to shut her up. "Oh, geez I didn't know. Sorry…" I nodded again. It seemed that was all I had been doing since I arrived. It was then that Nancy returned with my stuff.

"Here. You go get dressed and then you can come have dinner with us." I got up and left without looking at either of them. I felt the usual depression setting in that had been so common at aperture. I was getting the feeling that I didn't belong here.

I returned to the kitchen fully cleaned and dressed with albeit slightly damp hair. I was surprised to see yet another new face. A young boy who looked to be no older than seven sat next to Nancy. "Oh good. Come on, you can sit next to Nat." I took my seat. There was a large bowl of noodles covered in a red sauce in the middle of the table and plates in front of each seat.

When I was seated they all began to scoop the food onto their plates while I sat at a loss as to what to do. I hadn't eaten in all my years at aperture. I assumed it was due to all the drugs and nutrients _They _had pumped into me for the better half of two years. Nancy seemed to notice my hesitation. "Don't tell me. You don't eat, do you?" I shook my head. "Oh."

_Yeah. Oh. _My mind offered unhelpfully.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I wonder how many people actually read the authors notes… Anywho. Next chapter! You know these are a lot longer on the word doc I'm typing XP It takes four-ish pages and makes it into a tiny scroll. So I'll be going to hopefully more like six pages. Or maybe just small chapters but update often. I dunno which. Again I'm rambling on. Please review or something. I do love feedback. Also any ideas are welcome because while I do have a basic idea as to where this is heading I could use some extra stuffs. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Portal**

Chell's POV

I sat and quietly watched as the family of three ate their meal and listened half-heartedly to their conversation. I think they actually forgot I was there for a while. They drifted from discussions of work to the political and economic standpoint of the nation, though for the most part I had no idea what they were talking about. The little boy who I now knew as Caden Chatted animatedly about his friends and all that they had done earlier. The little blond boy bounced in his seat with so much energy that my mind actually slipped in something about him being perfect for testing. I quickly shoved that thought away. I was beginning to sound like GLaDOS.

Nat spent most of the time complaining about her job at one of the diners. She went on and on about a certain customer, who it seemed both Nancy and Caden knew, who had been extremely rude to her and called her what I assumed to be offensive slang. Nat was extremely intriguing to me for some unknown reason. Her views of things were harsh and she was rather blunt, but I honestly preferred that to the sneaky underhanded lies and comments from GLaDOS. It registered somewhere in my mind that I had been thinking about the rogue AI quite a bit since my departure from the lab.

I was brought out of my musings when I was brought into the discussion. Not by name of course considering they still didn't know it, but Nat gestured to me. "What about her? How long is she going to be staying here?" Nancy looked over at me, her blue eyes judging my reaction to Nat's sudden question.

"I'm not sure. I will say that she is welcome for as long as she would like." I smiled slightly at this and tried to recall a time when someone had been so kind to me. I couldn't remember one. Nat huffed and I began to get the feeling that she didn't like me at all. It occurred to me that she may have resented the fact that I was intruding on their home. "And Nat." She waited until she was sure she had the girl's attention. "I want you to show her around tomorrow since you have the day off." Nat didn't seem too happy about that idea. She shot me an angry look and left the table.

Seeing this as his opportunity for escape, Caden leapt from his seat and ran down the hall to his room shouting something about freedom and calling after his sister. Then it was just Nancy and I. Again. She looked over at me for a few moments and opened her mouth as if to say something only to close it again. Silence stretched out and the air was tense. I thought about all the things I wanted to say, wishing for what must have been the hundredth time that day that I wasn't mute. I wanted to thank her for her hospitality, I wanted to ask her questions about where she worked, what she did. I wanted to know where her husband was, but most importantly I wanted to tell her my name.

"Well I'm going to clean up. Feel free to use the TV and there are a stack of books in the closet in your room to read. I honestly don't even know what you like to do…" I smiled in thanks and made my way to my room. My companion cube was waiting for me exactly as I had left it. I sat down and pulled it into my lap, once again thinking that it seemed a lot heavier that it used to and I didn't know why. It looked the same as always with a few burn patches from the balls of energy.

_I dropped down into a small test room with a button on the floor. I placed the cube on said button smiling slightly as a door opened. Then GLaDOS came over the loud speaker. "You did it! The weighted companion cube certainly brought you good luck." I smiled again and silently agreed with her, passing through the now open door. It lead into an even smaller room containing a switch next to a large Plexiglas window. "However," my mind came to a screeching halt. "It cannot accompany you for the rest of the test and, unfortunately, must be euthanized." The smile dropped from my face instantly. I hit the switched and watched in horror as something that could be described as a laundry chute opened. The heat was visible as it came out of the thing in waves._

"_Please escort your companion cube to the Aperture Science Emergency Intelligence Incinerator." I couldn't move. As silly as it was I had actually become attached to the thing. It was the only thing I had ever been allowed to take with me through a test and I wasn't quite ready to let go of it. "Rest assured that an independent panel of ethicists has absolved the enrichment center, Aperture Science employees and test subjects of any moral responsibility for the companion cube euthanizing process." _

_I trudged over to the cube, picked it up and carried it over to the incinerator. I took a quick look inside. It was a mass of flames that had heated the metal inside to a bright glowing red. Looking back at my companion cube I felt a sadness well up inside my chest. It was as if I was murdering my only friend. Taking a deep breath, I dropped it into the flames watching its descent until the hatch closed. My companion cube was gone. "You euthanized your faithful companion cube more quickly than any other test subject on record. Congratulations." I slid down the wall next to the incinerator and stared blankly ahead. I didn't remember a time I had ever felt this way. My eyes burned and my throat tightened. For the first time in years, I cried._

It was strange having my companion back after so long of being alone. I laid my face against its cold metal surface silently wishing it held all the answers to my life. A knock on my door brought me back to reality. "Can I come in?" A small voice whispered through the cracked door. I leaned over and pulled the door open and nodded my head. Caden trotted over and dropped to the floor. "So you really can't talk?" He asked eyeing me suspiciously. I shook my head. "Wow that must stink. I dunno what I would do if I couldn't talk. I wouldn't have any friends or be able to talk to my mom… Do you have any friends?" I looked at the bouncing child in front of me for a few moments and then shook my head again.

"Oh. Why not? I think you're cool so I don't know why you don't have friends. You and my sister should be friends!" He shouted excitedly. "She can be really mean sometimes, but she's not so bad. Then again I don't think she likes you very much. Not yet anyway." I tilted my head and nodded. "You think so too? Wow we are so alike! I like you no matter what Nat says. Do you have a name?" He was squirming around as if not actually capable of sitting still. I nodded again. "Really? Hold on a second. I'll be right back!" He dashed out the door only to return a moment later with a small book in his hands. "This is a book of names!" He jumped up and down. "I'll read them to you and you can let me know if we come across yours."

I liked his idea, but I knew my name was about as common as a safe test chamber. In other words, not common at all. He began reading name after name. After about fifty A's He finally figured out that that is not what it started with. I would have taken the book and looked for it myself, but I could just barely read and I couldn't write at all. I was beginning to lose hope when he stopped and laughed. "Well this is a funny name! Who names their kid Chell?" I glared at him for a moment and realization dawned on him. "Wait! Is that your name?" I nodded. A huge grin broke out on his face and he bolted out of my room.

"Mommy! Mommy, mommy, mommy! Her name is Chell!"


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I'd like to give a shout out to my constant reviewer **_**Species Unknown. **_**I know it took me a while to come back to this story, but thanks for sticking with it! :) **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Portal**

Chell's POV

The house was silent for the first time since I had arrived. The only audible sound was the clock ticking on the wall above my head. No buzzers, no rude AI, no blabbering personality core, nothing. The usual clunks and dings of machinery had been replaces by the still quiet of night. And that left me with absolutely nothing to do but think. Thinking had never been one of my pastimes. It had always been "go here, do that!" I'd never had a chance to sit and contemplate my life, but I had the time now and I was going to make the most of it.

I came to realize early on that I had quite a few questions about my life, like big empty spaces in what should be my memory. It was like the black box that GLaDOS had spoken of when Wheatly and I woke her up. My life was limited to a very small sequence of events beginning with my awakening in the relaxation vault till now. It repeated itself over and over in my brain, mocking me. I didn't know where I came from at all. Had I been created in the laboratories, or did I have a family out there somewhere that was wondering where I was, hoping I would return someday? Did I have a mother and father, sister or brother? Were my grandparents still around?

My life didn't seem to have any meaning at the moment. I was in the middle of nowhere being a burden to a family I didn't even know. I didn't even have a voice to call my own! There was one question that kept popping up in my brain, an unwanted reminder that I was probably some experiment gone wrong.

Who am I?

I'm Chell, I would tell myself. I was a prisoner at aperture laboratories, but what did any of that mean? I didn't know who gave me that name, whose experiment I was. Was my life even worth anything to anyone? Did it matter that I was gone? Would it matter if I was gone for good? Heck, my mind pitched in, could I even actually die? GLaDOS always told me what kinds of horrible things could happen to me. So did Cave Johnson's recordings, but so far I was having no side effects from any of it. I was still as strong as ever. All the turrets set up never killed me. Was I even human?

That was about where I stopped myself and decided I was just being absurd. Of course I was human; I had no actual reason to believe otherwise. I leaned back and tried to relax as best I could, but my body was having none of it. It was going to be a long night because I didn't sleep.

Portal-portal-

When the sun finally peaked over the horizon and pushed its way through the window, I was still sitting in the same place I had been for what seemed like eternity. During the night I had measured how big the companion cube was in pinky widths about seventeen times, counted the walls, counted the planks of wood on the floor and run through all the paradoxes I knew thanks to GLaDOS.

No one was awake yet.

I felt as if my brain was running laps in my head, working overtime trying to keep me from going insane. After being active for years, being still was practically murder. I repeated that word in my head one hundred times in a row. After that it really didn't even sound like a word anymore. I then began to count backwards from one million.

I reached 200,000 when I finally heard movement in the house. When Nat came into the room I practically jumped up. "Geez, when did you wake up? It's like… five in the morning." In my mind I responded that I don't sleep and haven't for a long time, but I highly doubted that his girl was a telepath. "Right, only ask yes or no questions. Forgot you can't talk." She flipped her black hair over her shoulder and looked me over a few times. "Well I guess it's time to get this show on the road. Ready to go?"

I was confused as to what she meant until I remembered Nancy saying something about Nat showing me around. She turned without waiting for me and headed out the door. Seeing no alternative I followed after her.

We stepped outside into the morning light and were met with a soft breeze that shuffled the dirt on the ground. The sky was clear of clouds. The simple existence of the sun that most people just accepted seemed so strange to me. After the sterile constant light of the test chambers, the glowing heat of the sun was almost an unknown entity to me. I turned my face upwards and my skin tingled with the sensation of the sun's rays. I noticed Nat staring at me.

"Oi, you act like you've never seen the sun before. Where have you been? Under a rock?" I shrugged and nodded. That was technically true considering I'd been underground for as long as I could remember. I'd been deeper into the earth than most people had. "Sheesh, you are a strange one. Ya know it's funny. You're the same age as me but since you don't talk I feel like I have to talk to you like a kid…" I frowned, feeling a little hurt at her words. Not talking suddenly meant I was an idiot? She was starting to sound like GLaDOS. "No offence," she added as an afterthought.

"Anyway. This place is called East Town. Original right?" Sarcasm was evident in her voice. "There are four others nearby. There's west town, north town, and south town. We're the smallest of them all." We continued walking past buildings with tons of windows, most of them reaching up to four stories high. It reminded me of the films I'd seen at aperture of a western town… only a bit more modern, but still the same general affect.

Eventually Nat stopped and gestured to a wooden hut type building. "That's where I work. Saboteur. Best food in town but the worst customers ever. Most people around here only come to get drunk. It's a 24 hour open bar, figures all the people in this town are deadbeats." I wasn't sure what she meant by that but I could almost guarantee it wasn't good. As we were talking people started filling the streets. "Come on, I'll show you the best spot in this rat hole." She grabbed my hand and dragged me behind her. I stumbled for the first few steps and finally got in step with her.

As we passed I saw people shooting us strange glances and whispering to each other. Nat didn't seem to notice or she wasn't concerned, but I felt like I was on display all over again. It was as if they were waiting, watching, just like the scientists. We continued at a steady pace through winding side streets and I was already feeling disoriented which was hard to believe considering my use of portals. Finally we stopped. "Well here we are."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Silent readers make me sad :( Anywho, on to the next chapter. I promise there is a plot to this story. Unfortunately, some blocks need to be put in place first. Review and such. Hope ya like it!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Portal**

Chell's POV

What stretched out before me reminded me of Aperture, well and truly. It was, in essence, a valley. A huge crack in the earth's crust, a blemish on the face of the world. It dropped so far down that all you could see was black nothingness after about two chamber-lengths.

The walls of the canyon were a mess of pipes and tubes protruding out of the rock and angling sharply down so much like a waterfall of metal. Where most of the landscape of the town was a grungy dirt pile, mosses and plants pushed their way through cracks and crevices and long vines swayed in the ventilation through the scar. It ran in length about as long as the dirt road the town was built along.

It was a natural barrier against attack. "This is where the town's water supply stems from. Supposedly there's a huge river down cutting in to the rock, digging the canyon deeper every year. Caves line the walls on the far side and there's a bridge about a mile down crossing over to a manmade path. Pretty cool, huh?" Nat's eyes where shinning with unbridled joy. There was something about this place that intrigued her, made her happier than anything else could.

As quickly as it came, her happiness vanished. "I figure you could use something to do if you're staying here. You look like the kind of person who can't sit still. Ami I right?" I was impressed at her character evaluation. I nodded.

"Well that's about it for the tour. I'm sure you will be able to find your way around in no time. I have to be getting to work. Do you want to stay here or go back to the house?" I considered my options for a while and made a decision. Nat strode off as I turned to face the canyon.

It was time for some exploring.

-Portal-Portal- Nancy's POV.

When Nat returned home without Chell I was a little worried. I wouldn't put it past her to go off the deep end, but I doubted it. Whether she admitted it or not, I knew Chell had wormed her way into Nat's heart even in such a short time. It was truly amazing. She had such a low tolerance for people, let alone new faces.

"Where's Chell?" Nat looked up briefly before she went back to digging through the clothes hamper for her work uniform.

"I showed her the canyon and she seemed to want to explore so I left her there." While I wasn't at all surprised at this turn of events, I was a little perturbed at the fact that Nat had simply left her to her own devices. I still wasn't certain of the girl's mental stability. "Mom have you seen my shirt?" A frustrated guffaw left her mouth and she tossed down the pile of clothes she had accumulated in her arms.

"It should be in there, towards the top," I directed her. "Did you stop and think that she could get hurt? She's out there all by herself with no way to contact us. It's not like she can yell for help!" I was a bit frustrated with Nat's lack of concern.

"I'm sure she can handle herself. You said she looked like hell when she got here. I bet she's been through harder stuff than climbing down a few pipes. Besides, I don't know why you're so worried. We just met her literally a day ago." She waved her hand dismissively. "Ah here it is. Well I'm off!" With that she was out the door and I was left to my paperwork. Being the only doctor and psychologist in the town had its down sides.

-Portal-Portal-

After a couple weeks, Chell eventually became a usual addition to our family. We were getting better at reading her gestures and eventually had a rather reliable way to communicate with her. As well as she was fitting in, she still seemed unhappy for reasons I couldn't even begin to understand. She spent most of her day in the canyon. Nat had even taken on the task of teaching her to read and write. She was a fast learner and soon she would be at the level of Nat herself.

I was glad that Nat finally had someone to talk to. She had isolated herself from all of her old friends after her father died and refused to go anywhere or do anything. She had been slowly drawing into herself, but Chell had somehow reached her.

She had also become a huge help around the house. When I arrived home from work on most days the house was already clean, dishes done. She was also trying her hand at cooking, even though she didn't eat. And on nights that Nat worked late, she insisted on going and walking her home. I felt that Chell was extremely protective of her new friend and the thought made me smile.

As this thought crossed my mind the door slammed signaling Chell's departure to pick of Nat. I caught a glimpse of her signature black ponytail and new gray jumpsuit with the arms tied down around her waist as she jogged down the road and smiled. She really was a great member of our small family.

-Portal-Portal- Chell's POV

The nights here in East Town were crisp and the days were hot. I actually like it here. I felt at home. Unlike at aperture, I didn't feel like I was on display. Nor did I feel like some giant supercomputer was trying to kill me. It was a nice change to say the least.

I passed by the usual buildings as well as Caden's school. Thinking of the small boy brought a smile to my face. He had insisted to Nat that he should be the one to teach me, not her. His enthusiasm warmed my heart and I began to think of him as my little brother. He would come in to my room at night when everyone was asleep and keep me company for a while. He was the only one who knew that I was physically incapable of sleeping. He would chatter on quietly about anything that came to mind and I would respond as much as I could. Some nights he would read me a story and say that when I got my voice back, he was sure I would because, after all, "Whose voice goes away and doesn't come back?" I would have to read him a story.

I became his confidant and he relished in telling me secrets because I couldn't tell anyone. Not that I would anyway. I had plenty of my own to worry about. My mind bounced around these topics until I reached Saboteur. I ducked into the place and scanned for Nat. She usually waited for me in the booth closest to the door, but she was nowhere to be found. The manager, Marcus, saw me and walked over. "Hey there Chell! Here for a drink? Nah, just kidding, just kidding. You're looking for Nat, right? Of course you are. Well ya just missed her, just by a few minutes. She walked out with a few guys. Nice looking fellas they were. Now…" I quit listening and quickly started out into the street not waiting for him to finish. Something was wrong. Nat didn't go anywhere with men. She had told me a few days ago that she was terrified of them because of something that had happened a few years back. My eyes swept wildly from right to left, searching for movement. I had to find her.

I began panicking despite my efforts to stay calm, but I had a nagging feeling. It was that same feeling that had kept me alive all those years at Aperture. I was about to go and get Nancy when my heart leapt into my throat.

An earsplitting scream pierced the silence of the night. _Nat!_


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own Portal**

Chell's POV

It's almost funny how everything snaps into perspective when adrenalin is pumping through your veins. I was used to it because of the tests, but this time it was different. There was a strange heat resonating in my stomach. Rage. It was like everything was moving in slow motion, but every sound reached my ears at regular speed. The laughs of men and Nat's whimpers hit me with painful clarity. My legs wouldn't move fast enough as I propelled myself through tight alleyways, over clumps of garbage. My breathing became strained and terror gripped at my heart. Where was she?

Voices around the corner caught my ear. "Come on, we just wanna have a little fun is all." I peeked around cautiously. Surprise was my best advantage. A man gripped Nat's jaw with his meaty hand and I recognized him immediately. He was the one who always gave her a hard time at the diner. She swiped his paw away with her one free hand. "You shouldn't have done that!" He growled and smacked her across the face. It was then that I noticed the group hidden in the shadows. The stepped forward.

He shoved her into one of his buddies. "Think you can just sass me? Do what you want, huh?" She was passed around the group and all I could do was watch as my mind reeled at impossible speeds looking at every angle, searching for a means of advantage. Nat fell to the ground and one man straddled her, pinning her hands above her head. She kneed him in the crotch and he rolled off groaning. "Bitch!" A kick to her head sent me over the edge. Something snapped and I tore around the corner and slammed my fist into one guys face.

At first they all took a few steps back, but seeing it was only me, they pressed forward. Out or the corner of my eye I saw something swinging at my head. I ducked, and not a second too soon. The pipe screamed over me and slammed into another of the thugs' heads knocking him unconscious immediately. Five to go. My arm popped up, catching Pipe's wrist and knocking said weapon away. I slid my foot out and swept his feet out from under him sending him to the ground. His breath left him in a whoosh and the last thing he saw was my fist slamming into his face.

Four left.

I felt someone grab me from behind, wrapping his arms under mine and putting his hands on the back of my head, effectively trapping me. The leader of the group approached me. "We got ourselves a little knight in shining armor, don't we boys?" They responded with a laugh. "Well, what's the story? This thing belong to you?" He nudged Nat's motionless form with his muddy boot only serving to make me more furious. "We got ourselves a little Man-lady. Let me tell you, you are not gunna like this at all. And be honest, whose gunna notice if you go missing, huh? The story could be the little outsider ran off."

I inhaled deeply once, twice. I think the oaf holding me realized a second too late what was about to happen. All the muscles in my body bunched and my feet rocketed off the ground slamming into Loudmouth and teetering Oaf off balance. He released his hold on me just enough for me to slip my left arm through, but regained it quickly and tighter than before. Much tighter. I felt my right arm snap under the pressure. I swung my left arm in a wild arc that connected solidly with his jaw. Once I was completely free I aimed a high roundhouse to his skull and sent him to sleep with the others.

Three.

Loudmouth pushed himself onto his hands and knees, looking around trying to figure out what had happened, but I was more concerned with the other two goons. One had picked up the earlier discarded pipe and the other flipped out a small knife. _What is this? A freakin gang? _Knife came at me and I lunged forward, throwing myself inside his guard and basically stopping the use of the blade. _Stay on the inside._

I jammed the heel of my left palm into his nose and followed it up with a ridge hand to his throat leaving him to grab at his face and gag. A swift heel stomp to the base of his skull sent him sprawling to the ground, unmoving.

Two.

Second Pipe and Loudmouth both came at me and I braced myself for what I was about to do. With only one good arm, I had to rely on my legs. I timed it and began counting down, breathing deeply and regaining some control on my body. At the last possible second, I threw myself through pipe guy's legs and planted my feet in his back, sending him toppling past Loudmouth. For once luck must have been on my side because he plowed through a couple garbage cans and landed ungracefully on the ground with one of his legs bent at a strange angle. He wouldn't be joining the fight again anytime soon and I saw him slowly clawing at the ground trying to scoot away past Nat.

And then there was one.

Loudmouth stood triumphantly before me, slightly dirty, but otherwise unharmed. I, on the other hand was sporting a broken arm and aching jaw where Oaf had clipped me putting me into a headlock. I was also extremely exhausted. My body wasn't used to this kind of exertion and I was running low on adrenalin and the pain from my arm was becoming unbearable. "Give it up. You can't beat me, not in the condition you're in." I briefly wondered if he ever shut up.

With that thought I charged at him. I made it about three steps when a distinct click halted me in my tracks. I didn't know when the gun had appeared, but I was now staring down its barrel. "I wouldn't move if I were you. You see, I have no problem shooting you and dumping your body into the ravine. As a matter of fact I might do that anyway. You humiliated me, and no one gets away with tha-" His speech was cut short when a resounding clang sent him to the dirt. Behind him stood Nat, hefting the pipe over her shoulder.

"That's for kicking my skull in you bastard!" I smiled and then slumped back against the wall feeling extremely drained. My arm was on fire and my right wrist was throbbing. I looked down and noticed red gushing from a slice in my wrist. It was then that I noticed pools and drips of blood splattered around the area. It sure seemed like a lot of blood. My vision started to get blurry and my head felt fuzzy.

"Nat… Help…" I croaked. The last thing I saw was Nat's stunned expression and then everything went dark.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Okay, so now this story is going to get moving. I changed the rating to M for the last chapter. Better to be safe than sorry. I haven't decided yet, but this story may end up being slight Yuri. If you squint. And hop on one leg… then it might look like it. Anyway, time for more storyness! Writing this chapter I was listening to Pika Girl by S3RL **d(^_^)b

**Disclaimer: I do not own Portal**

Chell's POV

When I woke up I cracked one eye open. Light flooded in and blinded me momentarily causing me to close my eyes again. I had no motivation to move. My arm was aching and my head felt like my brains were leaking out my ears. All in all there probably wasn't a difference between how I was feeling now, and what it felt like to get hit by a bus. "Ugh…" I flopped my head to the left and opened my eyes.

My arm was encased in a white cast. I was confused for a few minutes until my memory of the night came flooding back like water out of a dam. I tried to sit up to no avail. "Nat!" my voice was rusty and my throat sore and raw. I blinked a few times. _My voice?! I can talk again! _The room was empty when I looked around, but a few chairs around the couch alluding to the fact that someone had been here recently. I groaned again and let my head fall back against the pillow.

My right wrist was thickly bandaged to stop the flow of blood. I assumed the cut had severed a major artery causing me to pass out from blood loss. From the looks of it, it had happened early on in the fight, but I couldn't remember for the life of me getting cut. I let out a puff of air and tried to settle back in to a comfortable position.

"Mom! She's awake!" I recognized Nat's voice and let a small smile slide onto my face. _She's okay. Good._ I tried to stay awake but my consciousness slipped away nearly as quickly as it had come.

-Portal-Portal-

The next time I opened my eyes, the house was dark. It was a much nicer awakening. My arms and head also felt a lot better. I was still a little sore, but it wasn't anything I couldn't handle. I carefully shifted myself into a seated position. It was then that I realized a head laying against my side. Nat's form was crouched against the couch and her head rested face down on the cushions next to me. My movement woke her up.

"…Ng… Chell? …Chell! You're awake, oh thank God! I'll go get my mom." She stood to leave, but I stopped her by grabbing her wrist, wincing as the movement tugged at my wounds that were no doubt stitched shut. She turned to me and knelt back down, but I refused to let go of her hand until I was sure she wasn't leaving.

"You… okay?" I forced out. Talking took so much effort after not using my vocal chords for so long. It sounded weak, but anything was better than silence. She stilled seemed as surprised as me at my speech.

She shook her head quickly as if to clear something from her mind and then answered in a whisper. "I'm fine thanks to you. You… you saved my life Chell." Her eyes glistened in the dark with unshed tears. "If you hadn't come when you did, those men would have…."

I felt rage bubbling up but I shut it down. I usually wasn't one to be so angry. I didn't even kill GLaDOS out of anger, I was just trying to survive. Destroying Wheatly though…. Now that was something I took some pride in. There was a sick satisfaction with the fact that he was in space now.

I didn't know how to respond. It wasn't like I could have just left her. I couldn't live with myself if I'd done that. The image of Nat on the ground not moving sent a throb of pain through my heart. No one in their right minds would have left her. My emotions were all clashing with each other into an unrecognizable mess. I felt the tears start to down my cheeks despite my efforts to stop them. "Chell? Sheesh, girl. I'm right here. I'm fine." Nat pulled me into a hug and I buried my face in her neck and cried. My nerves were fried and I was emotionally exhausted.

-Portal-Portal-

After I managed to pull myself together, Nat got Nancy who said she had a few things to explain to me. She sat on one of the previously mentioned chairs, and Nat sat next to me on the couch. After realizing that I could have actually lost my best friend, I wasn't letting her go anywhere without me anytime soon.

"Okay Chell. I did some research and I think the condition of your muteness is Selective Mutism. I read that after traumatic events, sometimes people will go mute, but regain their speech eventually. It was the closest think I could find to what we're dealing with. The good news is that you should be talking normally again in no time." She offered me a gentle smile while inside I'm sure she was having he own personal party. I was too. "And another thing. Your arm was snapped literally in half, which takes quite a bit of strength, first of all. I set it last night when Nat brought you home, but by the time I did that, it was already beginning to heal. That shouldn't be physically possible. Also, I changed your bandages this morning and most of your minor cuts and bruises as well as the slash on your wrist were mostly healed."

She was quiet and let the unspoken question hang in the air. How it is possible? I didn't know how to answer. It probably had to do with some test done on me at aperture, but I had no way of knowing what all they did to me. For all I knew there were little nanobots swimming around in my blood stream. There were so many unknowns surrounding my life and I had no answers. "I don't know." I mumbled quietly. Nat laid a reassuring hand on my shoulder which I was grateful for, but the cold had already set into my heart. My life was just one big, sick experiment and that hurt more than any physical damage could.

"Chell. Where did you come from?" Nancy looked into my eyes searching for an answer that she wouldn't find.

How could I tell them? _Oh don't worry, I'm just a science experiment from an underground laboratory run by a psychotic AI. No big. _I dropped my gaze. "If… you don't mind… I'd like to be… alone for a while." I forced out. I wasn't in the mood to be around them anymore. I just wanted some time to think.

I hobbled my way to my room and closed the door. I slid down the wall and pulled my knees to my chest. _What am I doing here? _

I was still in awe of the sound of my own voice. I figured that I needed to start working on my speech as well as writing. Just like anything else I had to get used to it. "My name is Chell."

"Voice recognition code activated. Welcome Chell." I snapped my head to the right just in time to see the circle plate with a heart on it flip and the companion cube pop open like a box.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: I hate not having a computer for a day (V.V)' **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Portal**

Chell's POV

I just sat for a moment, staring at the cube. I didn't know what to do. Curiosity said to check it out, but I was a little afraid of what I would find.

I threw caution to the wind and peeked inside. It was typical aperture. Inside the cube were two more boxes. One was an ammunition box with my name carved into the top and the other was a thin metal box about the size of a book.

The ammunition box seemed simplest so I pulled it into my lap. With some effort, I pulled the lid open. Inside were stacks of pictures. There must have been at least fifty if not more. There was also a small leather bound book about the size of my hand. On top was a piece of paper folded in thirds. I picked it up carefully and unfolded it.

A necklace slid out into my hand. It was a white gold chain with a small circular gear on it. It was about the size of my thumb. I turned my attention back to the letter.

_Dear Chell,_

_If you're reading this then I must be gone. The necklace you have now is the key to my research. If something had happened to me, I wanted you to have it. If you insert this key into the hand held portal device, you'll know what I mean. _

_I hope this letter finds you well. I often wondered while writing this what you would be doing when you got it. Where would you be? My life at aperture interfered with our life often, and for that I am truly sorry._

_Cave asked me about you today. He hopes to have you as one of our lead scientists in the robotics department. He says you show much potential. You're as much of a genius as your father was. I'm sorry that you never had the chance to meet him._

_There is so much I want to tell you, but I don't have the time. I'm writing this now as I wait for them to come take me for the GLaDOS project. I'm excited and terrified all at the same time, Chell. I wish you could be there, but you're still only a child. I'm going to miss seeing you, but I hope you understand. I'm doing this for the greater good, for science. _

_I hope you don't feel as though I've abandoned you. Cave promised to take good care of you, as well as he could at least. I don't know if this letter will help, or only serve to confuse you more, but I hope it's the latter. Life is so uncertain as I've begun to understand. We never know our roles or what we are meant to do, but I do know one thing._

_You are destined for greatness._

_Love,_

_Your mother, _

_Caroline. _

I don't know how long I sat in schocked silence. It was just so much to take in. Caroline was my mother? What did that mean? All my life I had wanted to know where I was from, but now that I knew, I was even more confused than before.

I picked up the first picture on the stack and flipped it over. It was a tall woman with dark brown hair in a white lab coat. She was standing in front of a large mahogany desk. Behind it was a wall displaying a large Aperture Laboratories logo. Her face was what caught my attention.

She looked exactly like me.

The necklace weighed heavily in my hands. I turned it over a few times and then fastened it around my neck. That was a mystery for another day. For now, I had a life to catch up on.

-Portal-Portal-

I had spent hours that night looking through photo after photo. They were pictures of Aperture, Cave, me and my mom. Some were of projects and some were just of the people. All of them had something to do with my life as I was beginning to discover.

Each picture fit in like a puzzle piece connecting to others. By the time I reached the end I knew a few things. I had spent most of my life at the lab, for one. My mother and Cave seemed to have been good friends. I lived with Cave for a while after my mother's transfer into GLaDOS.

Mother.

It was such a strange addition to my life. I had no memories of her and yet here was the proof. I apparently had some knowledge of circuitry and computer engineering when I was a kid, but I couldn't remember a thing about it. It was as if my childhood had never even happened. I was hoping that by looking through all the pictures I would begin to recall things and have memories, but nothing happened.

The next morning Nat came in to check on me. I had taken off my cast long about five in the morning. My arm was working fine. "What's all this?" she asked in awe of the pictures strewn about the floor. I scrambled to pull them into a pile before she could see them, but she had already picked one up. "Holy crap! Is that a robot?" It was my favorite picture. Caroline was standing next to GLaDOS who was in the final stages of construction. The smile on her face almost seemed to radiate from the photo.

I didn't answer her and gently pulled it from her hands. "God Chell! What are you hiding?" Nat suddenly shouted. "We took you in and you wont even tell us where you're from? You sure are keeping a lot of secrets for someone who's supposed to be part of our family!" I sighed tiredly. I had long since grown used to Nat's outbursts and temper, but it was really getting to me for some reason.

"That," I pointed to GLaDOS, "is an AI." She looked confused but I didn't elaborate. "And that is my mom." I placed the picture on top of the others and put them back into the ammunition box which I stashed in the cube. "I know about as much as you do, okay?" I didn't realize that my voice had cracked with emotion until a concerned expression fell onto Nat's face.

"Sorry. I shouldn't have yelled. So you really don't know where you came from?" I shook my head, which was sort of the truth. I still didn't completely understand what went on with my family and aperture, but I could only hope that the rest of the things in the cube would explain it.

"Nat, I'm gunna go down to the canyon for a few days. Could you tell your mom not to come looking for me?"

She looked at me skeptically. "What are you gunna do?"

"I just have some things to figure out." I placed the portal gun in the cube and closed it. Getting down to the cave I had in mind with the cube was going to be a challenge, but then again, I'd done harder things at aperture.

Just like old times. Me, a cube, and a long fall.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: I have paint in my hair! I just painted my bathroom! Yay! Okay, on with the next installment! I know this one is a little short, but I'm hoping the next one will be longer than any of the other ones. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Portal**

Nancy's POV

It had been a couple days since Chell had gone. It was almost like she wasn't coming back.

All her things were gone from the spare room. The entire family felt the hole that had been filled by Chell. Nat often paced the house when she thought no one was looking. Caden would come hone excited to show her something from school only to remember she wasn't there.

I missed having someone to talk to who would listen and not worry like Nat would, and who could understand unlike Caden. The house work was once again on my shoulders so I felt myself slowly losing sleep that I had gained with Chell's help.

I was shocked out of my musings when Nat burst through the door shouting. "When is she coming back?! She can't just abandon us like this!" I looked at her curiously and slightly amused. Maybe Nat was taking this harder than I had originally thought.

"Where are you going? Nat?" She was shoving ropes, her harness and figure eight into a bag.

"Where do you think? I'm going to bring her back!" With that she stormed off leaving me to myself again.

-Portal-Portal- Chell's POV.

I blinked rapidly trying to memorize as much of the code and theorem that was flashing across the tiny screen in my hands as I could. The extent of my mother's research was astounding. It even lead as far as androids that used technology not even created yet.

In the few days I had been away, I had learned so much. The photos from the ammunition box were tacked to the wooden support beams of the cave, my entire life on display. The sounds of the canyon floor reverberated through the tunnels casting an eerie air over my project.

The first thing I had done was investigated the meaning behind the gear around my neck.

_I ran my fingers over the intricate piece of metal. I had spent an hour flipping through every page in my mom's journal and had come up empty handed. It was beginning to look like I would have to figure it out the old fashioned way. "Here goes nothing."_

_I slipped the gear into the slot on the top of the gun. For a few seconds, nothing happened and I was about to pull it back out, but then something clicked. The portal gun hummed softly for a few moments and then another click sounded and a panel popped off the bottom. _

_I flipped the device over and peered into the hole. Deep in the mass of wires, something shined, seeming out of place. It was a key._

The key had unlocked the second box. Inside were a small flat screen and a series of tiny discs. They contained video recordings of my mother explaining her research and doing various experiments. Most often she mentioned the Portal device. Through the disks, I had learned so much about the device, and my mother as well.

Based on all the information she had provided, I had concocted a formula that I thought would serve my purpose. I was going to recreate the portal device with one difference.

It would project portals on everything.

Instead of requiring the usual moon dust, it would project on walls, dirt, even water. The perfect portal device.

"Okay, gig's up. What are you doing down here?"

_Crap! _"Nat! Hey. What are you doing down here?" She was soaked in sweat and breathing heavily.

"I came to find out what the hell you're hiding from me."


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: I have one word. School.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Portal**

Chell's POV.

"I'm not hiding anything…" God, I sounded guilty, even to myself. Nat started walking towards me with her eyebrows raised.

"Oh really?" I nodded and slid to the side to keep from getting cornered. My brain was working a mile a minute to figure a way out of this, but nothing was coming to me. I was stuck. "Hey. What's this?" She picked up the portal gun, which was currently just a jumble of wires.

"That's… uh…. Something I'm working on…" I pulled it gently from her hands and set it back down. Schematics and pages of formulas were scattered about the walls and floor. I was almost finished with the portal gun. There were just a few more adjustments to be made. Then there was the matter of testing it, but that wouldn't take long.

"Chell, look at me." I stopped what I was doing and glanced over at her. "Why can't you tell me? Are you some sort of wanted criminal or something?" I started to laugh. For some reason that struck me as one of the most hilarious things I had ever heard. Me? A criminal? Ridiculous.

"Gosh no. I'm no criminal." Nat leveled her gaze on my from the blueprint she had pick up.

"Then why can't you tell me?" I thought about that for a moment. Why couldn't I tell her? Was it really that big a deal? Besides the fact that she wouldn't believe me and think I was crazy, there really wasn't that much of a risk.

"Okay fine. But you'll have to wait until I finish this. I have some test to run on it that you can help me with." With that, I turned back to my makeshift workbench alight with candles.

-Portal-Portal-

"Chell… What are we doing here?" After the last of the gun was re assembled, I had started down the path to the canyon floor, not waiting to see if Nat was following. The rainforest like terrain was the only green for miles. No one had the courage to come down here and explore, let alone the time. I had learned that I was the only one who came down this far in a long time.

Trees stretched up from the ground in clusters, blocking out most of the sunlight that reached the canyon floor. Tall grasses and fern-like plants grabbed at our legs and feet while vines hung blocking parts of our path. There was an eerie silence accompanying our walk, there were hardly any sounds to speak of besides the thick wall of crickets and other insects.

I would venture to guess that many different species of snake inhabited the woods, but I had yet to see any. The nights were full of sounds. Tree frogs, bull frogs, all kinds of frogs as well as the occasional bat. A river ran clear through the middle of the scar. That was where we were heading.

"We are here…" I pushed aside some branches. "to do some tests."

"Well can we get to the part where you tell me all your secrets?" I knew she was anxious to hear what I had to say, but I was using this time to gather my thoughts. I didn't want to have to figure out what to say as I went along.

"Nat, I'll tell you, just give me some time. Okay?" I heard a sigh behind me and assumed there would be no more interruptions into my thoughts. The sun was starting to hit its highest point almost directly over the canyon. Light streamed through the leaves casting a green glow on out walk. It reminded me of looking into the eye of the green personality core.

I didn't know what all I was going to tell her yet, and we were almost at the river. I double checked my compass to make sure we were going in the right direction. We were.

-Portal-Portal-

The clear water stretched in front of us for a good test chamber in length. The sun glinted off the rippling surface making the water look like fire. A burning river. "Okay. We're here, so now what?"

"Now? Now I test this thing and see if it works." I aimed at the shore across the river and fired. For a few horrible seconds, nothing happened. I was about to set the thing down and call it a failure when a purple oval appeared. "Yes!" I was ecstatic. "Now all I have to do is adjust the ratio of the…"

"What's that supposed to do?" Nat cut me off.

"What, this? Well it's a portal device. It creates portals of course. I rotated the operational end of the device ninety degrees and fired again. The response time was much quicker this time.

"Well. Here goes nothing." I shot again at the ground in front of me and watched as a red oval appeared, shoeing me the clear blue sky. Bracing myself for the worst I stepped through. I felt the familiar rush and compression of my breath and then, just like that, I was on the other side of the river. "It works! Come on Nat! Just hold your breath." I saw her face through the portal.

"You sure about this? It doesn't look… safe." I waved away her concerns and folded my arms across my chest. Throwing caution to the wind, Nat stepped through. Because she had never used a portal before, I pulled her to the side so she wouldn't get stuck levitating as I had so many times before. "Holy crap!" Her face was absolutely glowing even though that was only a small portal jump.

"Ha so you liked it?" She nodded excitedly. I was surprised. I hadn't pinned her as the portal type. It really does take a certain kind of person to get excited about possibly painful teleportation.

We sat down and I dispelled the portals. "I suppose you want to hear my story now?" I asked even though I already knew the answer. She only nodded. "Well you'd better get comfortable. It's a long story. It starts in a place called aperture laboratories."

"_Chell, Tyya'r!" My mother called from down the hall. "Come on now, we don't have time for games! Please come back!"_

_I huddled in an office under a desk. I couldn't be found! If I didn't come back then my mom would have to keep looking and she wouldn't leave then. "Please come out." Her voice had died away to an almost whisper. I curled tighter into my hiding place as I heard her footsteps stop and then continue on past me. _

_When I was sure she was gone, I moved. I had to get to a better hiding spot, somewhere she wouldn't find me! I was bolting down the corridors that had been my home for all my life as fast as my little legs would carry me. The walls were a sterile white and they blurred together as I ran. I sped around a corner and didn't notice the man walking until it was too late. I slammed into his legs sending us both toppling over. _

"_Aaah!" The man exclaimed in a British accent. "If it isn't young Miss Chell. The director was looking for you." He stopped when my sniffs reached his ears. I swiped at my tears trying to make them go away, but it wasn't working. "Chell, are you alright?" Wheatly sat up and looked down at me expertly assessing my mood. He may not have been the brightest man at the facility, in fact he was downright stupid, but he knew people. _

"_I'm fine!" I stood up and turned so my back was facing him._

"_Well, I don't mean to be rude… that is I don't want to… um….." the silence stretched on for a moment while he gathered his thoughts. "What I mean to say is that I don't believe you." He placed his hand gently on my shoulder and my walls crumbled. _

_I plastered myself to his legs and sobbed. The occasional "there, there" could be heard from the awkward man. After I was emotionally spent, he crouched back down. "Chell, dear. Why don't you tell old Wheatly all about it, huh? How's that sound?" I sniffed and hiccupped a few times and then nodded. He wiped my nose with his blue handkerchief that was always in his chest pocket of his lab coat. "There, that's a good girl." He took my hand and led me in the direction of his office._

_It was a soft blue with a few sketches taped to the wall of boxes and turrets, and a few of a strange combination of the two. Those ones scared me a little, but it was an altogether inviting space. The soft gray carpet squished under my bare feet and I settled into my favorite chair. Wheatly was one of my few friends around the lab. He was sweet and not stuck up like the rest of them. "Now there, Chell. What's got you all upset?" I sighed and rested my head on my knees._

"_Wheatly? Do you know about the GLaDOS project?" He looked solemn for a moment and then nodded. "Mom said that because of it…. She's gunna have to leave. I don't understand, I just know that I don't want her to leave." He looked sad. _

"_Chell. I know that none of us are supposed to tell you about this… it's actually a bit taboo and uh… they said if anyone ever told you, they would die. But I'm going to explain it for your sake." He looked around and then closed the door. "Your mom is the test subject for the project. When GLaDOS is operational your mom's memory and being is going to be stored onto a disk and they're going to put that into GLaDOS. So your mom will live forever running the facility. So it's not all bad." He offered half-heartedly. _

_As I let the information sink into my mind, I felt a cold settle over me._

_-Portal-Portal-_

_It was the day that my mother was to be taken away, murdered. For science. I had spent all my time with her, clinging to her side. I never told anyone that Wheatly had explained to me what was really going to happen. I was standing in an empty room with two blast doors on eather side with my mother. A was gripping her hand hard crying. "Why do you have to leave?! Why not someone else?" I was hysterical. _

"_I don't want to leave you Tyya'r, but this is my job." The blast door shot open with a hiss and two men entered. _

"_Are you ready miss Director?" My mom nodded and gently pulled away from me. She walked past the men with her back to me. _

"_Mom!" I screamed and ran to her pulling on the back of her lab coat._

"_Chell. Let go." Her voice was cold and I pulled my hand back as if I had been burned. _

_I struggled to grab her again but the two men stopped me. I kicked and screamed until the blast door closed and my mother was gone from sight. I went limp and the men let go and left me alone. I fell to my knees as the cold I had felt earlier slipped in again. That was when I had realized what it was. Rage. Murderous rage towards the center, the scientists, and science in general._

_I hated them. I hated all of them._

-Portal-Portal-

Nat stared at me with slightly teary eyes. I was aware that I had been crying for some time.

"Oh my god Chell." She moved to put her arms around me.

"That's just the beginning."


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Kay so now that school started and I'm in AP classes and such, I will only be updating on weekends most likely. I appreciate the continued support.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Portal**

Chell's POV.

" Holy freaking crap." Nat just sat there, stunned. I guess it's not every day you hear your best friend is a lab rat from some freaky science facility. It seems to have a strange effect on people.

"Just…. How… When…Huh?!" She was still stuttering random question words when I stopped listening. I was a little too busy worrying about whether or not I would have a place to stay after this to care about her confusion. Telling someone your life story is one thing. Having them disown you for it is a completely different matter. Considering my life was quite screwed up, I wasn't sure what her reaction would be and I didn't have anything to base it off of. I hadn't gotten into the habit of blabbing my secrets to everyone I met. Not that I had actually met many people to begin with.

By this point Nat had stopped trying to form words. If it was possible for a person's jaw to hit the ground, that's where Nat's was. She had fallen back on basic human nature. "Uhhhhhhhh…" The constant droning was starting to get to me. Between my anxiety and all the emotions I had just brought up, I was finding it hard to take. I gritted my teeth and my fingers started to twitch involuntarily.

"Okay! Would you quit that!" I shouted and then grimaced at the surprised look on Nat's face. I sighed. "Sorry…" I fell back into silence and thumped my leg against the ground agitatedly from my crisscross position.

A few minutes passed with my back to Nat when I felt her slim arms wrap around me from behind. Her chin rested on my shoulder. "I'm sorry. I was just a little shocked, ya know? I mean to think that something like that exists…"

I leaned back a little. "I know what you mean."

-Portal-Portal-

"Okay. I don't know about you but I'm hungry." Nat placed a hand on her growling stomach. That reminded me that there was still something I hadn't told her.

"Actually…" She looked over at me as we climbed up the canyon wall. "I don't eat…"

Her eyebrows almost shot off her face. "What do you mean you don't eat? Everyone eats." She pulled herself into an open pipe for a quick rest. I joined her.

"I mean that I haven't eaten in years. I think it has to do with all the chemicals and other things they pumped into me at the lab. I haven't slept in that long too." She was already nodding along with what I was saying.

"I guess that makes sense. I mean if you were consistently pumped with adrenalin among other things, you wouldn't really sleep, would you?" she sighed. "Man! Getting up is gunna take so much longer than I thought. Repelling down here doesn't take long, but going up… well you know." I stopped and looked back at her.

"We could… take a short cut." A huge grin split my face. Without telling her what I meant, I jumped out into the open air, plummeting towards the canyon floor. I heard Nat shriek behind me. Somehow this felt extremely familiar. I managed to flip myself and aim for the top of the other wall. My portal opened immediately as did the one I had placed below me. As the ground came closer I shifted my shoulder and slipped through the pink oval.

Soaring through the air at freefalling speeds is the best feeling anyone could ask for. It was good to be back in the saddle. It reminded me of my first time testing momentum in a portal space. My hair pulled free of its hairband and whipped around my face. The wind tugged at my jumpsuit and made my eyes tear up. I could see the entire town from this height, it was amazing.

All too soon it was over and my feet hit the ground. I bounced and rolled forward, skidding a little as I stopped. For a few seconds I felt disoriented and the world spun a little, but it wasn't unusual. "Nat!" I shouted.

"Yeah?" She called back to me, her voice echoing in the open space.

"You ready for some portalling that is a little more extreme?" A few moments later I saw a body hurtling towards me and I took that as a yes.

-Portal-Portal-

When Nat and I limped in the front door smiling like idiots, I don't think Nancy really knew what to do. Nat had her arm draped over my shoulders so I could hold her up off her now extremely strained feet. I was glad I had worn my long fall boots.

"Hey mom? Can you make me some mac 'n cheese?" I bust up laughing while Nancy looked at us quizzically. She looked like she was going to question us, but then decided not too and went to the kitchen. Nat's growling stomach could be heard all around the house.

When the food was ready, Nat crammed as much as she could in her mouth while I sat fascinated by how gross it was, and yet I couldn't look away. Eventually we got around to telling Nancy that Nat hurt her foot repelling. I had Nat promise not to tell her mother what I had told her. It was still a secret. Later on in the evening I told Nat about my next project.

Creating a second portal gun.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Kay so now that school started and I'm in AP classes and such, I will only be updating on weekends most likely. I appreciate the continued support.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Portal**

Chell's POV.

For the first time in my life, I had a job. I had discovered that obtaining the parts to create a second portal gun was not going to be a cheap venture. I had to make money somehow and as of yet, I could only get one job. "Are you gonna stand there all day, or are you gonna take the food to table seven!" Nat snapped.

That's right, I was working at saboteur and Nat was my boss. After the incident with the men from the bar, Marcus had finally promoted Nat to assistant manager. Nat was always taking falls for the establishment so I thought it was about time. Now she had the authority to throw people out.

I on the other hand, had to listen to every word she said and she was loving it. I stalked over to the table and set down the food. I was not appreciating the uniform. It was way to short and tight fitting for my taste. As opposed to my jump suit, it was like I was wearing spandex. I did _not _wear spandex.

The amount of men staring at me was starting to annoy me. I wanted to be rude but then again, I was relying on tips. I would just have to deal with it a while longer. When I went back to the kitchen, I grabbed a piece of chicken and popped it into my mouth. Recently I had been getting hungry.

It had been the strangest thing I had ever experienced.

_I groaned and rolled back over onto my stomach which was the source of my agony at the moment. I didn't know what was wrong. I had woken up that morning with a stomach ache and no clue how to lessen it. Another groan escaped my lips and Caden came and squatted down next to me. _

"_You okay Chell?" He was so adorable, and he always worried about my wellbeing. _

"_I'm fine kiddo, I just don't know why my stomach hurts." He scrunched up his face in thought and placed a finger to his chin._

"_Maybe…. Maybe you're hungry?" My eyes widened at him. It was a possibility, but I had never gotten hungry before. What did that mean?_

"_You could be right." I hopped up. "Oh, and Caden?" I waited to be sure he was listening. "Don't tell anyone about this. Kay?" He nodded._

I sighed as I felt the sensation ease. I had been getting hungry more frequently. I slipped back into the front room and took another table's order. When I got back to the counter I frowned. My head felt fuzzy and I couldn't remember what the order had been. I was usually really good about remembering those things.

Maybe the night was getting to me, I mean, I had been there for quite a few hours now. I blinked rapidly and stumbled towards the back room looking for Nat. I found her standing over a table of checks and tabs. "Hey Nat?" She looked up and her eyes widened a little. "Do you think I could take off? I'm not… feeling so well."

"You're pretty pale. You okay?" I nodded and headed for the door. "Yeah, you can take off. I'll see you back at the house."

My walk home was relatively nice. Besides my slight dizziness, the starts were out in the clear sky and it was almost a full moon. There was a slight chill in the air, but not too cold. The streets were empty of people except for the occasional couple out enjoying the scenery. I was finally starting to feel like even though this place wasn't much to look at, I had a place to call home. It was a nice change from always fighting for my life, and over the months I had been here I had a family, a job and a place to live. I was actually starting to get the hang of a normal life.

-Portal-Portal-

I opened my eyes wondering where I was. I looked around frantically until it dawned on me that I had fallen asleep on the floor. My mind screeched to a halt and I backtracked a little.

I had slept!

I hadn't done that since I was a kid. First I started eating and now I was sleeping? It was almost like I was becoming a normal person. I was finally leaving my past at Aperture behind me. A smile lit my face. I finally had a reason to be happy. I could be normal again. I would be just like everyone else. No more science-y nightmares, no more tests, and no more people trying to kill me. I was just going to live my life.

It was a very freeing thought to say the least. I yawned and pulled myself off the floor. It was a brand new day and I had all the parts I needed to make the next portal gun.

-Portal-Portal- Nancy's POV.

I let the door close behind me when I got home. It had been a long day at the office, and I was exhausted. I looked around the house and sighed. It seemed like I was the only one in the house. I was glad to have Chell back to do some of the work again with the added bonus of her actually being able to talk to me.

I wondered where she was today. I figured she would be in the canyon exploring some more since she had the day off. I trudged down the hall to my room and slipped off my socks and shoes as well as changing into some sweat pants and a T-shirt. I made my way to the kitchen preparing to make dinner when I stopped dead in my tracks.

On the floor was Chell, unconscious. I kneeled down and looked her over for injuries before rolling her over and that was when I saw it: The puddle of blood that had collected around her head. A stream of it ran from her mouth. Her face was tinted purple.

When Nat arrived home from work, I met her at the door with the worst news I had ever had to give in my entire career as a doctor.

"Chell is dying."


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: But no one said I couldn't post more than once The rest of this story will basically be in Nat's POV. If it bothers you that an OC is pretty much taking over for the next few chapters, then I'm sorry and this is not the story for you. Oh and I don't know if I said Chell has brown eyes. They're blue -_-'**

**Yes I was listening to medieval music whilst writing this. It's just too amazing.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Portal**

Nat's POV.

"What the hell do you mean 'Chell is dying?!' She can't die!" My fists clenched at my sides. I felt like hitting something.

"Nat, please calm down." It had to be some sick joke. Chell had been just fine yesterday; maybe she had seemed a little tired, but not deathly ill. And how could she just randomly start dying? She wasn't sick; she hadn't had some deadly accident. "Nat." I pulled my eyes up to hers with some effort. "Come on." She held out her hand. I took it and followed her into her room.

There was Chell, lying on her bed, pale as a ghost. Her black hair was plastered to her forehead; her ice blue eyes were open in sightless slits. I noticed her chest rising and falling in a shallow, uneven breath. She didn't look good, and that was an understatement. "I found her on the floor when I came home. Nat, there's nothing I can do. I've never seen anything like this." My eyes glazed over. Chell couldn't die. She was my best friend. What would I do without her?

"No." I whispered. "No!" I turned on my heel and bolted out of the house. It was happening again. Someone I cared about was going to leave me.

I wasn't sure where exactly I was running to, but I knew I had to get out of that house. I could feel death creeping in like a thick fog. It was just like last time. Houses and buildings flew by. A few people called out to me but I ignored them. I had to get away.

"_Natalia…" _The whisper sent chills down my spine and my already pounding heart beat even harder. _"I need you to be strong. You must take care of your mother for me. Do you understand?"_

I clutched at my head willing the voice to go away. _ "The time will come for you to protect those you love. The time will come for you to be brave. You must be ready for that day."_

"Shut up!" I shouted, causing a few people to stare as I ran past. The voice in my head was no longer a whisper.

"_Take care of them."_

A shriek bubbled up from my chest and ripped through me like a tidal wave. "Dad!"

_It was only a year after I graduated kindergarten. I was outside playing with my friend Josie. The bright sun shone down on the beauty of the town. School was out for a few weeks and I had planned to enjoy every single minute of it. _

_Families from all over town were celebrating the coming of the harvest. The festival was almost here, a time when all the townspeople got together to celebrate. There was food and games and the bonfires could be seen from miles away. Everyone in their right minds were looking forward to it. It was the most exciting event of the year. It was like a blast to the past._

_It was a celebration of our ancient beginnings. Medieval food, music and entertainment would line the streets in a lively symphony of lights and sounds. We were the only town to still hold the festival, and for that I was glad. As silly as it seemed to others in our technologic age, it was nice to just be able to let go of appearances and enjoy ourselves._

_I was more excited than most anyone because during the harvest festival, my father would be returning home. He had been away for a while now and I didn't know why at the time. All I knew was he had come home from work one day and had a talk with my mother and then left. _

_Josie and I ran past people hanging banners, setting up booths and carrying baskets of food. Everyone was preparing for the event. I personally was content just to watch everyone's faces. They were all smiling. All fears were washed away and there was joy as far as the eyes could see. Unlike years past, there was a surplus of food because the seasonal rains had actually come and watered the plants which thrived even in the hard soil. _

_I giggled and skipped alongside my friend. "Hey Natalia?" I smiled and glance over at Josie._

"_Yeah?" We passed the main stage which was being painted in a rainbow of colors and patterns depicting the major events of this year. All the towns best artists came together to work on it and it was beautiful every year._

"_You excited for your da to come home?" I nodded eagerly and that night I went to sleep with a smile on my face content knowing that the next day I would once again enjoy the festival with my father. _

_But that was not going to happen. _

_I woke to my mother shaking me awake. It was still dark. I groggily did as she told and got dressed. She walked with me, bleary-eyed down to the bus station. This was my first time leaving the town and I didn't understand why we were leaving on the day of the festival._

_We arrived in north town a few hours later and I didn't remember most of the ride there because I had fallen back asleep on the way there. After a little walking we arrived at the hospital. I didn't know what we were doing here and told my mother that. "We're here to see your father. Hush now." _

_We ventured down hallway after hallway until we reached room 108. The sterile white walls were a stark contrast to the colors of the festival. _

My father died that day and I never went to another festival.

I reached the valley and came to a halt. My breathing was ragged and I leaned resting my hands on my knees. As I stared out over the canyon, I made up my mind. I would save Chell. I would be strong like my father had wanted me to be. As crazy as I probably was at that moment, I made my decision and threw in my lot. 

I was going to aperture.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Seriously, does anyone read these? Bleh anywho 'nother chapter hurrah hurrah.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Portal**

Nat's POV.

I looked at myself in the mirror. The gray jumpsuit I had "borrowed" from Chell's wardrobe suited me relatively well. My hair was tied up in a ponytail and my green eyes shined with determination. If I had to make a comparison, I would say I looked quite a bit like Chell. The new portal device rested in my firm grasp. If I was going to do this, it was by no means going to be half assed. I was going in there and demanding that this "GLaDOS" help me save Chell. I couldn't care less who she was; she was no match for a ticked off Natalia.

Now all I had to do was tell my mother that I was leaving…

The light was on in the kitchen and Caden was sleeping in his bed. It was a quiet night and if I hadn't known better I could say everything was right in the world, but it wasn't and I had a job to do. My mom was sitting at the kitchen table when I came down the hall. Her coffee cup was clutched in her hands like so many things she couldn't hold on to. I knew what she was thinking about. She was thinking about dad. She always did.

"Mom." My voice sounded weak and quiet, almost a whisper. It was enough to break her from her thoughts. That was when I noticed a small bag sitting on the table in front of her.

"You can't go without some food and your medicine…" Shock marred my features. How could she have known I was going somewhere? I hadn't told her anything. "I don't know the details of what is going on with you and Chell, but I want you to know that I believe in you." That was all I needed to hear. She believed in me. She thought I could do anything and that gave me the strength that made _me _believe it too.

I left the house at two in the morning and made my way to the canyon. It felt like I was leaving everything behind, almost like I wouldn't be coming back. I shut down those thoughts. I couldn't fail because if I did, Chell would die.

-Portal-Portal-

I shivered in the dank cold of the tunnel. Chell had told me a while ago that some of the pipes running down to the river lead to Aperture. I wasn't sure how she knew, but I had taken her word for it. I just hoped she was right.

I tripped over my feet for the millionth time that… morning, night? I didn't know what time it was. I trudged along by the light of my small flashlight. I was worried that the hyper core would die before I reached the lab. I also hadn't taken into account the fact that I didn't actually have much food. It was all I could do but hope that there would be some sort of food once I got there.

I gust of wind blew through the pipe almost making me lose my balance in the cold sludge that I was mucking my way through. The stuff was close to knee deep now and my skin tingled as the ice cold liquid slowly drained the heat from my legs. I couldn't feel my toes anymore and I was beginning to worry that I might get frostbite.

I continued my silent trek through the waste for a few minutes before I lost my footing in the now waist deep sludge. As my body went under, I felt a slight current begin to tug at my feet. Before I knew what was happening I was swept deep into the murky brown water, my breath almost leaving me in the shock. I tumbled in bitter water and goodness knows what else blindly feeling for something to pull myself up. By back hit the bottom and I struggled to gain footing when the pipe below me burst sending my sailing down in a rain of mud.

I hit the iron catwalk with a thud and listened to the splashes of the last of the sludge disappearing below me. My head slammed back and I bit my tongue and felt the iron taste of blood fill my mouth. I just lay there, unmoving looking up at the industrial lights above me. Static filled the silence and raised to a deafening white noise. A soft melodic voice cut through the static and filled the chamber echoing.

"Wheatly, retrieve the cooperative testing units and return to my main chamber. There's been a pipe break." A buzz and a click followed and a male voice flooded the system.

"Done and…. Almost done. The pipe break was in sector four… I think. But then again I could be wrong. You know, I was thinking that if we combined blue and or-"

"Now!" I cringed at the volume of the voice.

"Yes GLaDOS, right away." GLaDOS? So this was it. I'd found Aperture.

_Don't worry Chell. It won't be long now._


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: I finally have a computer to use at school! I am one very happy camper! So maybe I can update more often now. Who knows? My computer said something about BK-201! Sorry about not updating. Writers block can do that to a gal.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Portal**

Nat's POV.

As much as I just wanted to start rushing off to find this GLaDOS, I had no idea where to start and, considering this was foreign territory, I needed to get a grip on my surroundings… without tipping off security.

Open expanses of winding, twisting catwalks stretched before me in a dizzying maze. The chain link railing rattled as I passed, my boots making metallic clangs every time they met the floor. I flinched and hissed when any overly-loud sound echoed through the empty space. A few times the heel of the long fall boots slipped through the holes in the walk sending me toppling forward. My mind kept nagging me, saying Chell would never have this much trouble. "Or make this much noise," I mumbled aloud as I pulled myself up from another face plant. With all the noise I was making, a sneak attack was almost out of the question.

It wasn't as though I had ever done anything like this before but I stopped and racked my brain for ideas anyway. My brow furrowed in thought as I contemplated what I wanted to do. _Think, Natalia, think! _My mind was unfocused but I attempted to bring it to a center. It was then that it hit me. It may have been a dumb idea, but it was worth a shot. I pulled myself forward, watching my feet as I went. I figured I would regret what I was about to do, but I didn't have any other ideas.

Taking a deep breath I vaulted myself over the railing and into the depths below. The air rushed up at me, whistling in my ears and ripping at my eyes making them water. My hand was the first thing to make contact. A clang sounded at my wrist smacked against a metal pipe. I could feel a bone crunch under the force and it took all my willpower not to howl in pain. I reached out again more carefully this time and was rewarded with my fingertips brushing against a metal pipe as I fell. It was just out of reach and the murky brown liquid was rushing up at me fast. I grasped out frantically and just as I was sure to plummet into the stuff, my hands latched onto a thick cable.

My momentum continued downward and pulled hard at my shoulders, nearly yanking them out of their sockets and my hands slid heating up and beginning to burn, but I latched my feet on slowing my decent even more. Finally, just as I reached the end of the cable I stopped.

The only sounds were my deep and ragged breathing and the drops of rubble falling and splashing. I let out a sigh of relief and looked around the dimly lit cavern. To my left I noticed a small ledge with a door glowing brightly against the black stone walls. I shrugged the portal gun, complete with a leather strap secured around my shoulder, to my left hand and fired right above the door. The pink ring opened and I breathed another sigh of relief. Next I fired in front of me and slipped through. When my feet hit the ground, I slumped down and sat, adrenaline coursing through me.

It took a while for my breathing to even out but once it did, I forced myself up and laid my hand on the door knob. Taking a deep breath I flung open the door only to find it empty save a few chairs and a desk.

I stood motionless staring at the disappointment before me. It led nowhere. It was a dead end. I walked into the room and closed the door behind me letting all my exhaustion and emotional strain of the day overtake me.

Portal-Portal- With Wheatly and GLaDOS

"Ya know… GLaDOS? I was…. Well I was thinking and maybe, just maybe we should, well, do the weekly security scan…?" The AI trained her glowing eye on the little blue android. He shrunk back in fear. Making suggestions was something that GLaDOS had warned him against doing too often.

"For once, Moron, that is actually a good idea. But don't let it go to your central processing unit. You still have the intelligence of a potato battery." The AI swiveled on her chassis and turned her attention to the computers lining the wall of her "lair."

A masculine voice flowed over the PA. "Central lockdown complete. Performing scan. Estimated duration: two hours." A click signaled the end of the message and the computer screens blinked blue and a timer began counting down.

A loud crackle filled the room and in the back corner a machine whirred to life. "Come Wheatly. We have some clean up to attend to." GLaDOS cast a forlorn glance at her mainframe and strutted out the blast door.


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: I'm losing motivation for this story guys. **** Where are my reviews. Whining over, on with the**

**story! **

**By the way, I still love everyone reading my story **** Thanks for the support! 3**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Portal or any of the characters involved in the game. If I did, I would not be writing fan fiction. I'd be story boarding and such, now wouldn't I?**

Walking next to the moody AI known as GLaDOS was not something Wheatly particularly enjoyed. He never knew when she was going to blow him up out of frustration. It had happened many times since his retrieval from space. The re-assembly process was not something he enjoyed either. It was rather painful, he thought. He often wondered how GLaDOS would handle re-assembly. The AI did appear to have a relatively high pain tolerance. Then again, he thought, it couldn't be much worse than being forcibly compacted into a potato battery. That out not to feel very good.

As Wheatly's mind yammered on with random musings, GLaDOS was listening intently to her surroundings. Pinpointing the location of pipe leaks shouldn't be a very difficult thing for an all-powerful computer to do, but unfortunately, the leak was in the old aperture, a place where the AI had very few sensors. So, the machine was left to do this on her own two feet. Manually.

She cringed.

Wheatly had come out of his thoughts some time ago and noticed this expression. Concern for his semi friend washed over him. "Um… GLaDOS…. Are you… ah, by any chance, alright?" He flinched preparing for an untimely destruction; but when none came, he lowered his hands back down to his side. What Wheatly was _not _prepared for was GLaDOS striding away from him, uttering only one word.

"Moron."

Portal-Portal- With Nat

I blinked rapidly, trying to gain awareness of my surroundings. My eyes darted around the small room. White walls, a window and a door plus the desk I had slept under. I nodded, affirming that everything was just as it should be before dragging myself to my feet. My pity party was over and now it was time to get back to work. Chell was counting on me.

My shoulders and back released a series of pops and cracks as I stretched. I was reaching for the door handle when something caught my eye. For a brief moment I had seen someone. Someone who at first glance looked human, but wasn't quite right in my opinion. I threw myself to the floor hoping they hadn't seen me. That thing had golden eyes. Just like GLaDOS.

Portal-Portal- With GLaDOS

The super computer fiddled with her synthetic hair absently while Wheatly stayed a few steps behind her still not sure what to make of her behavior. Something was certainly bothering the… 'Woman?' he thought to himself. He didn't know how to approach the subject. Having a heart to heart with a murderous robot was not something he exactly wanted to attempt. I click and then whirr caught his attention.

"GLaDOS… what was…" Suddenly the alarms began to blare over the PA system.

" It would appear that we have a guest."


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Well this story is slowly winding down to an end. Hope you guys are still enjoying. Thanks to all my reviews and follow and especially favorites **** If ya like my writing, check out my other stories which I will be working on when this is finished. Self-promotion! Anyway.**

**By the way, I still love everyone reading my story **** Thanks for the support! 3**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Portal or any of the characters involved in the game. If I did, I would not be writing fan fiction. I'd be story boarding and such, now wouldn't I?**

The alarms blaring startled me into action. I had been caught. The fear of the unknown welled up inside me as I took flight through the window of the office. Glass shattered easily around me and I rolled to my feet, my eyes flickering around the plain white room. There were two sets of blast doors and a large red button. Something in the back of my mind, the small part that remembered every detail of Chell's story, whispered 1500 Megawatt Aperture Science Heavy Super Duty Super-Colliding Super Button. I struggled to remember what she had told be about the thing_. Something about cubes_? I shook panic from my mind and focused on my surroundings once more.

In the back corner of the room sat what almost looked like Chell's companion cube only without the Soft pink hearts. I shot a purple portal under the cube and then one beside me grabbing the piece of metal. I inhaled deeply preparing myself for whatever fate might befall me and set the cube on the glowing circle. The button let out a hiss which sounded like an air lock releasing and much to my surprise, the only thing that happened was the blast doors on one side of the chamber opening. Despite the lights flashing and the wailing of sirens, I felt quite accomplished. Remembering that I was still standing in the open with, probably, an angry robot hot on my tail, I jerked towards the now open path only to stop again.

Before me was a glowing blue screen. Chell had said something about this as well but I couldn't remember if she had mentioned if it was dangerous or not. I stood deliberating internally before throwing caution to the wind and stepping through. The portal gun vibrated and the portals in the room disappeared leaving the chamber exactly as it had been plus some shattered glass.

**-Portal-Portal-With GLaDOS**

The AI had stopped once again earning a quizzical look from Wheatly. A euphoric sigh escaped the android followed immediately by robotic hands coated in fine white synthetic skin slapping over her mouth. "they're in the test chambers!"

Wheatly simply stare at her. "How do you know?" That earned him a glare. "All right, all right. I'm sorry for asking. Well are we going after them?"

**-Portal-Portal- Nancy's Pov**

I leaned on the doorframe to my bedroom. Caden was sitting in my chair holding Chell's hand. He had refused to move since he found out. She had made such an impression on him in such a short time. She was his second sister and a good friend to him. She brought excitement to our lives and that was something that I didn't want to change.

The young woman was fading rapidly. Her health was failing and I got the feeling that she wouldn't last much longer. I had studied her condition ever since Nat had left but couldn't find the culprit to Chell's depreciating health. Her breathing had become labored not long ago and beads of sweat were rolling down her porcelain face. All signs of her rapid recovery were nonexistent.

"Caden, come eat dinner honey." He looked over his shoulder with pleading eyes.

"But mom! I can't leave her. What if she wakes up all alone? Can't we eat in here?" I glanced at him and smiled sadly.

"She's not going anywhere. Come on." I turned and left the room knowing he would follow soon after. I was almost down the hall when his voice reached my ears.

"Mom! Come quick! Something's wrong with Chell!" I raced back towards my room. Caden was on the floor wailing and covering his ears as the heart monitor beeped rapidly. Chell's body flailed in harsh convulsions rattling the bed.

"Oh God!" My heart leapt into my throat and I raced to her side. _Please hurry Nat! We're going to lose her!_

**-Portal-Portal- Nat's Pov.**

I slumped against the wall next to me. This was hopeless.

Time was passing by at an alarming rate and I was no closer to an answer than I was the day I left. Things were looking grim. At this point I didn't even know if I would get back to my family at all, let alone in time to save Chell. I had done at least five chambers to no avail. I was running around like a lab rat and there was no sign of the AI.

It was my fault for running like a coward. I should have just marched right up to her and told her to hand over the cure for Chell. "Stupid!" I knocked my head back against the white chamber wall, the sound echoing through the empty room.

"Most humans are, but don't let that bother you. After all, humans are simply filthy animals." A dark feminine voice filled the room. "I would ask how you found this place, but I am not one to care about the test subjects." I felt fear bubbling up within me and I jumped to my feet holding the portal gun as if it would do something to protect me.

"Who are you?!" I shouted. A laugh echoed and a panel on the wall moved revealing a path much like the catwalks I had seen upon my arrival at aperture.

"Why don't you come find out?" The teasing in the voice infuriated me. There was no doubt about it, that had to be GLaDOS. I was finally getting somewhere.


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: I do not own Portal or any of the characters involved in the game. I wish I did… but I don't. Sad.**

I was not a fan of hew everywhere I went, panels and doors kept closing behind me. It made me feel like a caged animal. A gazelle in the grasp of a cheetah like they showed on all those old nature shows. I didn't like that at all.

Lights flickered above me and somewhere, far off, I could hear the whirr and whine of machines hard at work. Clangs sounded and echoed in the empty expanses connected by long tubes of steel. On the walls were black machine arms attached to even darker panels. Their blue lights glared at me like so many eyes. Plinks and plunks of objects falling into the muck below reminded me that an untimely death was a very real possibility in this strange place. It left me wondering in amazement at Chell's strength and courage. It was no wonder she had been mute. So many times in this adventure I had been left speechless.

"You humans are slow. It must be on account of your generous weight. Tell me, are all humans so gluttonous?" I gritted my teeth in annoyance. I was no longer afraid of the Android, but her many insults were becoming quite absurd not to mention infuriated. I was not fat!

Saying nothing I continued on. "One foot in front of the other. Just keep going." Another whirr, another crash, another plunk. More panels closed the path behind me. Just as I was about to come up with some snide remark, the lights shut off, plunging me into pitch black. "GLaDOS? What's going on?" More laughter echoed through the abiss-like laboratory.

"This had been fun, but I'm afraid you'll have to… go now." The metal screamed beneath my feet as it pulled free of its supports. With no sight to go on and the ground rattling and swaying beneath me, I was sent to my side. It sounded like someone was trying to pry open an chain fence. I scrambled, blindly feeling for something to hold on to, finally managing to grab a handrail just at the rest of the catwalk gave way leaving me hanging above an unknown death.

"So did you manage to survive that? If you did, I'd say you are just about on par with that… lunatic." If it was possible, her technologic voice became even more menacing. My arm muscles groaned in protest to the abuse reminding me of my predicament that had been momentarily forgotten. I took a deep breath and relaxed as a small light flickered above me. Sparks rained down and I thanked anything and everything I could think of for the tiny bit of light. I squinted and tried to adjust to the dark, finally managing to see the basic outline of the now destroyed catwalk. I was hanging on to a foot long length of steel bent and torn from the rest of the structure.

Flinging myself hand over hand, I inched my way closer to safety. Once I had ground firmly under me I collapsed and tried to regain my breath. Chell was going to have to tell me more about her and adventures if I survived this. I let my head flop to the side for a short rest.

-Portal-Portal- Nancy's POV.

I looked up from my resting position on the couch. It was almost midnight. Chell had settled back down after her near death and hadn't moved since. Her heart rate rested at a normal level and her blood pressure and brain activity were fine, but she had given me quite a scare. I was sure she was a gonner.

She was strong, I'd give her that much. I was left to my own thoughts again and wondered about Nat. I knew that wherever she was, she was only trying to save Chell. It was admirable, I just wished she would have told me more. _She's not a kid anymore, _I chided myself. "Just hurry back to me Natalia." I pushed myself up and went to check on Caden and Chell.

-Portal-Portal- Nat's POV

Looking down, I was hardly able to stomach the drop that loomed before me. It wasn't as bad as the canyon, it was worse. I could only hope that Chell's portals would work on that goop down there. A huge gap loomed before me, blocking my path to the murderous android and for a while I had been stumped.

Until I realized that I had a portal gun that worked on anything (except hole filled catwalk apparently, I had found that out the hard way). I took a breath and propelled myself forward, away from safety and towards what appeared to be certain death. My mind chose that moment to remind me that I trusted Chell with my life and now was the time to repay that trust.

A red portal opened below me and I found myself sailing through the dark near silently, like a bat or bird of prey. I stuck the landing allowing my hand to help me balance in the crouched position. Sweat made my hair cling to my forehead. Realization hit me. Just through that door was GLaDOS, the only hope for Chell's survival. I had taken great lengths, and time, to get here and my goal was just beyond the door in front of me.

Not only had she cause Chell's illness in the first place, but she had just tried to kill me as well. That robot was in for hell because I was beyond pissed at this point. I just wanted to get my hands on her and tear her stupid machine body apart, but that would have to wait until after I had the cure. That damn AI was gonna get what was coming for her.

"No GLaDOS, I'm not dead, but don't you worry. You will be soon you useless scrap metal." I assumed my challenge had been accepted because the door opened and light flooded out. It was now or never.


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: So here it is. Second to last chappy guise and gals. Hope you've enjoyed this ride and I hope my short attention span for stories didn't detract from my writing too much. As always, read and review.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Portal or any of the characters involved in the game. I wish I did… but I don't. Sad.**

My eyes were slow to adjust, but when they did, I was shocked. The circular room was huge! Nothing like the open expanse I had been in before, but for a singular room it was massive. Blinding white panels everywhere you looked excluding the hundred or so flat screen TV's each displaying their own separate images. It was enough to make my head spin, but what really shocked me was the massive machine hanging from the beams overhead. A fine network of cables and cords melded together as one and fitted snuggly under metal plating. A blazing yellow eye fixed itself on me as I stepped forward.

"My, my. You are ugly, even for a human." I rolled my eyes and glared, not at all amused. "Hm. So were those words empty threats or are you really going to try to kill me? It wouldn't be the first time you know." I moved towards her without saying a word until I was face to face with the AI.

"You're going to help me, or I am going to kill you and I promise that you will stay dead." My voice was foreign in my throat. It was cold, sterile. It almost frightened me. For a moment nothing happened. Then she laughed.

The high pitched cackle pierced my ears and shook me to my core. "You? You're going to kill me? I doubt it. But I'll humor you for a moment. What exactly am I supposed to help you with?" Her dismissal of my threat was infuriating, but I pushed it out of my mind.

"You're going to tell me how to save Chell." She was still for a moment, looking at me intensely.

"Chell?" The voice came from behind me this time and I whirled around to face the speaker. I could hardly believe the scientific masterpiece that stood before me. Porcelain skin was pulled taught over rippling synthetic muscle. The grace of the machine was equal, no, better than that of an actual human. Brown eyes twinkled with mischief and if one looked close enough, they could see yellow gold flecks throughout the brown depths. Soft tan lips pulled back to reveal a menacing smile of perfectly white teeth. I shivered at the sight. "So the lunatic is alive after all." She brought a hand up to her mouth thoughtfully. "Well, even for memories sake, there is no way I'd help that… murderer."

To say I wasn't expecting the speed with which the android advanced on me would be a clear understatement. I was completely off guard. The fist collided with my face sending me to the ground, and just like a panther she was on me wrapping her hands around my neck, cutting off my air. Dots danced in my vision and panic took over. This would be over before it began. An image of Chell, cold and unmoving flashed behind my eyes. She would die.

Giving up was no longer an option, in fact, it never had been. With a roar, I threw the machine off me and struggled to regain my breath and composure. She slid along the floor on the balls of her metallic feet with cat-like grace. She came at me again, but this time I was ready.

She gained momentum and launched a high kick aimed at my temple which I narrowly avoided. I rolled beneath her and planted my foot in her back, realizing after that this was the exact move Chell had used on my attackers such a time ago. Pride filled me. I would do her unique style justice. GLaDOS stumbled forward, thrown off balance if only for a moment. I didn't waste it.

I lunged for her, pinning one arm behind her. I felt gears whirring as she tried to free herself. I thanked my luck that she hadn't programmed herself with super-human strength. I didn't have long to enjoy my short victory before her other hand gripped my hair and threw me over her shoulder. I shrieked in pain and surprise which was cut short as my body hit the floor for the second time in the past few minutes. GLaDOS slammed the top of her foot into my side making me cough and attempt to crawl away from her. She followed slowly, mocking me as I scooted my injured frame along the floor. With the last of my strength I hauled myself to my feet and swayed unsteadily.

"Give up. You can't beat science." I grinned and wiped the blood from my mouth. Saying nothing, I came at her again, but this time my aim was different. She moved to intercept me, but I ducked and slammed my flat fist into her armpit hearing a satisfying pop and a melodic cry of pain. Apparently her nerves were in the same place as well.

"That ought to even the odds a bit." I allowed myself a smirk as I watched the android clutch at her shoulder, never having felt this kind of pain before. She glared at me much like a cornered animal would their captor; with vengeance. She was beyond words now. She wanted to tear me limb from limb. We met in a flurry of punches, jabs, and blocks. The force with which our blows collided was sure to leave me covered in bruises. I got a few lucky shots in, but found myself soon overwhelmed. Her last hit slammed through my defenses. My head snapped back and I dropped like a rock. I wouldn't be able to get up this time.

Her foot pressed my face into the floor preparing to smash my brains onto the floor. Suddenly it hit me. The hair, the body structure. GLaDOS was Chell's mother! I didn't know how I could have been so dense. Chell had practically told me this the last time we had talked about Aperture. "I don't understand you GLaDOS." The android looked down at me, her eyes conveying uncertainty for the first time. "How could you not want to save your own daughter?"

"What?" the pressure on my head disappeared completely and I was pulled to my feet.

-Portal-Portal- Nancy's POV

I sat outside the house in the dirt breathing in the fresh air. The unlit cigarette rested on my index finger tempting me to destroy all the progress I had made escaping the grasp of my deadly addiction. I sighed and slid it into the chest pocket of my jacket.

It was going on a week since Nat had gone off to who knows where. I was beyond worried and Chell had taken a turn for the worse. She was having convulsions every hour and the strain on her heart was increasing. I had already had to pump fluid out of her lungs one earlier that day. Caden had gone off to school against his will. He didn't want to leave Chell, but I didn't want him around the house to see what was happening.

My head dropped in my hands and I rested there in silence. My mind had quieted and left me in a near catatonic state until I heard feet scuffing towards me. I sighed thinking it was another neighbor checking up on Chell. The girl, no, the woman had certainly made an impact on the town.

"I'm home." My eyes widened and I jumped to my feet pulling Nat to me. She returned my tearful embrace for a moment before pulling away. I took in her disheveled appearance and gasped. "I'm fine, just take me to Chell." I nodded and lead her inside.


	21. The End

**A/N: So here it is. This is The. Last. Chapter… probably. As always, read and review. I was listening to the complete shadow of the colossus sound track while writing this. Check it out! And play the game if you haven't! Anywho on with the story.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Portal or any of the characters involved in the game. I wish I did… but I don't. Sad.**

Nancy's POV.

Chell's funeral was an event that I am certain no one in east town will soon forget. It was a Sunday, the week before the harvest festival. I flipped the pancakes in the pan listening to the hiss and sizzle of the bacon on the stovetop. It was far too bright, too sunny for such a mournful occasion. The smell of food and the peace of the morning seemed to set a certain calm over my troubled mind. For once in my life, there was only one thing I could think about.

Life wasn't fair.

I had grown up in a world where this fact was not concealed. I had grown up in a time of death and destruction. The love of my life had been torn from me at the height of our marriage. I had been left to raise a young, angry Natalia and an adopted son by myself. It wasn't the life I had asked for, nor was it what I expected, but I made the most of it.

Then I got the chance to meet a near magical stranger only to have her fall ill. Under my educated and skilled watch, she died and there was nothing I or anyone else could do to change that harsh reality. I shook the thoughts of self-pity from my mind. I wasn't the one suffering the most. I wasn't Nat.

She hadn't come home last night. When the grave keeper came to take the body away, Nat had gone with him. She refused to leave Chell, her broken heart and destroyed sense of direction would not allow her that relief. I could picture her sitting in the morgue staring at the beautifully crafted mahogany casket that held her dearest friend, her only friend. I still didn't know what she had gone through to try to save Chell. All I knew was that it hadn't worked.

The service was to be held this afternoon out by the canyon. I only hoped Nat would attend. I didn't want her to suffer the regret of not saying goodbye.

Portal-Portal- With GLaDOS

"You didn't know…. Did you." It wasn't a question and they both knew it. The AI shook her head staring at the large screen before her.

"I have never felt this kind of pain before." Images flashed of various commands and systems along with some of the inside of a human body. Red Blood cells flowed freely around the apparent microscopic camera. "It is not like being torn apart and burned. It is inside me somewhere that I cannot find and eradicate." Wheatly's eye squinted sympathetically.

"It's called worry." GLaDOS fixed her gaze on him suspiciously. "Oh right, right… Super computers don't get worried… sorry. Forgot." She sighed and looked away, her shoulders slumping. "It's just… You've-"

"I thought you had shut up." She spat vehemently. For once, he didn't shrink away. Gathering his courage, he neared the android and laid a metal hand on her shoulder watching her jaw working.

"You've never had a daughter before. Just a guess, but I'd say you're wondering if that human saved her or not… am I right?" She cast him a sideways glance and uttered one word.

"Moron."

-Portal-Portal- Nat's POV.

I was seated in the front row along with my mom. Caden was curled up in my lap hiding his tear stained face in my black hooded sweatshirt. It was amazing to look around and see how many people had come to the ceremony. Chell had managed to touch so many lives in her time with us.

I swallowed the lump in my throat. Everyone around me had eyes that glistened with sadness, and yet, I couldn't cry. I didn't actually feel much of anything. It was as if my body was in so much shock that reality hadn't set in yet. My mind was fogged up and some sliver of me kept insisting that there was no way Chell could actually be dead. She was larger than life and nothing could possibly take that away. It wasn't right.

People stood up by the casket saying all sorts of great things about the stranger they had shunned at first. It angered me a bit. I had been the same way, but it was different now. I felt a strange detachment to **(1) **everything around me. People began to slowly file away after placing flowers by the closed casket. I sat long after everyone else had gone.

A few long strides brought me to the box that held the body of my best friend. I reached out and smoothed my hands over its polished surface. It had been a long time since a funeral had been held in this town. "This was a real jerk move ya know." I muttered as though she could hear me. I looked out into the canyon. I figured she'd want to be buried here. It was her favorite place in the town after all. "How am I supposed to go on without you?" I sat down and crossed my legs in the dirt.

"I didn't get to really know you. There was so much more we were gonna do. I was gonna bring you to the harvest festival. It's only a week away now." I dropped my head in my hands. It was as if there was an itch in the back of my mind that I couldn't scratch. Something didn't seem right. "Hell! I thought you were going to teach me everything you knew about portals…"

"And get this… GLaDOS actually willingly helped me. After she beat the crap out of me, sure, but still. I think she would have like to be able to see you again. She has this tricked out…" I trailed off clenching my jaw. I stood up and moved back to the death box.

"Dammit Chell!" My hand made a hollow thud as it collided with the wood. I dropped to my knees. "Just… damn it." A sob bubbled up from my chest. An aching, lonely sound that surprised me more than it should have. I didn't know when I had started crying, but I had. The dream was broken. I could feel ever bit of agony that tore at my heart, and I knew, deep down, that it was my fault. If I had only been a little fast, or realized that something was wrong. I could have saved her.

A slight rattle silenced me. Ever muscle in my body tensed and I stopped my breath to listen. There it was again! I jumped to my feet and whirled around looking for the source of the sound. There was nothing but dirt and rocks as far as the eye could see. Nothing but dirt and rocks. I figured my ears were just playing tricks on me until I heard it again, louder this time. It was then that I realized where it was coming from.

"Oh my god!" I scrambled over to the casket fiddling with the clasps until they popped open. I hefted the lid open with a bang. She gasped for air and looked at me with terror filled eyes, but I couldn't care less. I slung my arms around her dragging her out of the casket and to the ground with me, burying my face in her neck much like Caden had done only a while ago. "You're just full of surprises aren't you?" I cried listening to the soft sound of her heart once again beating in her chest.


	22. Little Tid-Bit

**AN: Hey there! Yes this story is over but I have these tiny ideas that I never added into the story so I might post occasionally. Just a little tid-bit for any of you still following.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Portal.**

**Nat's Pov.**

Some nights as I sat at the table eating I had to wonder. I wondered if Chell even had teeth.

In all the days I had known her so far, she never opened her mouth. My brain reasoned that there was no actual purpose for her opening her mouth. She didn't talk and she didn't eat so what did that leave?

I propped my head on my hand and looked at her quizzically. She almost seemed to sense my eyes on her and she looked up meeting my gaze. She raised an eyebrow in silent question and I looked away quickly, a blush rising on my cheeks. Curiosity burned inside me, but I couldn't just come out and ask her to open her mouth.

After dinner, I cleaned up the dishes and placed them in the sink to be washed later. Chell had disappeared a few minutes before. I walked through the small house searching for her. She was nowhere to be found so I continued my search outside.

I was nearing the edge of town when a slight movement caught my eye. At the top of my mom's office building strangely clad feet were dangling over the edge. I smirked and hefted myself hand over hand up the newly replaced fire escape.

"Nice night, huh?" I sat down next to her and looked up at the clear night sky. She looked at me, her lips curling ever so slightly and that's when it happened.

Bright white peeked out from between those soft pink lips. Perfect and stainless. It was the most beautiful smile I had ever seen. Well there is, I thought to myself, a very good reason for her to open her mouth. It also satisfied my curiosity.

Chell did, in fact, have teeth.


End file.
